Characteristics of Induced-Sputum Inflammatory Phenotypes in Adults with Asthma : Predictors of Bronchial Eosinophilia

The objectives of this study were, for patients attending a specialist asthma clinic at a tertiary care hospital, to determine, from sputum induction (SI), proportions of bronchial inflammatory phenotypes, demographic, clinical and functional characteristics of each phenotype, and the most accessible non-invasive inflammatory marker that best discriminates between phenotypes. Included were 96 patients with asthma, attending a specialist asthma clinic at a tertiary care hospital, who underwent testing as follows: SI, spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), blood eosinophilia, total immunoglobulin E (IgE), and a skin prick test. SI phenotypes were 46.9% eosinophilic, 33.3% paucigranulocytic, 15.6% neutrophilic, and 4.2% mixed. No significantly different clinical or functional characteristics were observed between the phenotypes. A positive correlation was observed between SI eosinophilia and both emergency visits in the last 12 months (p = 0.041; r = 0.214) and FeNO values (p = 0.000; r = 0.368). Blood eosinophilia correlated with SI eosinophilia (p = 0.001; r = 0.362) and was the best predictor of bronchial eosinophilia, followed by FeNO, and total blood IgE (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) 72%, 65%, and 53%, respectively), although precision was only fair. In consultations for severe asthma, the most frequent phenotype was eosinophilic. Peripheral blood eosinophilia is a reliable marker for discriminating between different bronchial inflammatory phenotypes, is useful in enabling doctors to select a suitable biologic treatment and so prevent asthma exacerbation, and is a better predictor of bronchial eosinophilia than FeNO and IgE values

Characteristics of patients admitted for the first time for COPD exacerbation

BACKGROUND: This study describes the characteristics of a large sample of patients hospitalised for the first time for a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. METHODS: All subjects first admitted for a COPD exacerbation to nine teaching Spanish hospitals during January 2004-March 2006, were eligible. COPD diagnosis was confirmed by spirometry under stability. At admission, sociodemographic data, lifestyle, previous treatment and diagnosis of respiratory disease, lung function and Charlson index of co-morbidity were collected. A comprehensive assessment, including dyspnea, lung function, six-minute walking test, and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), was completed 3 months after admission, during a clinically stable disease period. RESULTS: Three-hundred and forty-two patients (57% of the eligible) participated in the study: 93% males, mean (SD) age 68 (9) years, 42% current smokers, 50% two or more co-morbidities, 54% mild-to-moderate dyspnea, post-bronchodilator FEV(1) 52 (16)% of predicted (54% mild-to-moderate COPD in ATS/ERS stages), 6-min walking distance 440 m, total SGRQ score 37 (18), and 36% not report respiratory disease. The absence of a previous COPD diagnosis, positive bronchodilator test, female gender, older age, higher DLco and higher BMI were independently associated with less severe COPD. CONCLUSIONS: We show that the patients admitted after presenting with their first COPD exacerbation have a wide range of severity, with a large proportion of patients in the less advanced COPD stages.The PAC-COPD study is funded by grants from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS PI020541), Ministry of Health, Spain; Agència d’Avaluació de Tecnologia i Recerca Mèdiques (AATRM 035/20/02), Catalonia Government; Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR 2002/137); Catalan Foundation of Pneumology (FUCAP 2003 Beca Marià Ravà); Red RESPIRA (RTIC C03/11); Red RCESP (RTICC03/09); Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PI052486); Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PI052302); Fundació La Marató de TV3 (num. 041110); Novartis Farmacèutica, Spain. CIBERESP and CIBERES are funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministry of Health, Spain. Judith Garcia Aymerich has a researcher contract from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CP05/00118), Ministry of Health, Spain. Jordi de Batlle had a predoctoral fellowship from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FI05/01022), Ministry of Health, Spain